Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-04

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that in all levels of education, from primary schools to universities, too much time is spent on learning facts and not enough on learning practical skills.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Several people have stated that excessive time is spent on learning facts while insufficient moment is been invested in acquiring enough practical skills in all levels of education, from primary to tertiary institutions. I agree with this view due to some noticeable structural factors in the education system such as the syllabus as well as limited access to funding for practical in institutions.

First and foremost, the syllabus is a structurally outlined plan regulated by authorities for all institutions to follow when impacting knowledge in learners. However, most institutions syllabus are structurally built based on theoretical learning leaving space for little acquisition of practical knowledge or skills. Most primary, secondary and tertiary institutions around the globe are usually built on this outdated foundation of theoretical framework reflecting little focus on the importance of practical knowledge. Thus, resulting to excessive time spent on learning information instead of acquiring technical skills.

Furthermore, another major factor is limited funding which is the inability of institutions to meet up with the financial standard required for teaching practical skills. When institutions lack access to proper funding from government and other relevant sources they tend to invest more time in teaching facts to their learners, which is because they could not make provisions for facilities and equipment required to set up a practical leaning environment. In addition, recent reports indicates that the funding required to set up technical institutions in order for learners to be given enough practical skills are very demanding, because proper financial support is needed from authorities and organizations. Therefore, limited funding in all levels of education limits learning to fact based knowledge with little practical experience.

In conclusion, I agree with this view because theoretically structured syllabus system and low funding capacity are major factors contributing to too much time spent in learning fact in all levels of education, resulting to low focus on practical skills acquisition.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating an agreement with the view that education focuses too heavily on facts over practical skills. The position is maintained throughout the essay. The two main body paragraphs provide relevant reasons—the nature of the syllabus and the lack of funding—to support the argument. While the ideas are relevant, they could be further developed with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. Overall, the response is well-focused and directly answers the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'First and foremost', 'Furthermore', and 'Therefore' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points. The progression of ideas is clear, and the reader can easily follow the argument from the introduction to the conclusion. The use of referencing is generally effective, though some minor improvements in flow could enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at using more academic language such as 'tertiary institutions', 'theoretical framework', and 'structural factors'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'insufficient moment' (instead of 'time') and 'impacting knowledge' (instead of 'imparting'). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band. The errors do not impede communication, but they do highlight a need for more natural collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'insufficient moment is been invested' (passive voice error), 'most institutions syllabus are' (possessive error), and 'recent reports indicates' (subject-verb agreement error). While these errors are noticeable, they do not significantly impede communication. The writer demonstrates an ability to construct complex sentences, but the control over these structures is inconsistent. More attention to subject-verb agreement and verb tense consistency would improve the accuracy of the writing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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